Cans containing a beverage, such as carbonated soft drinks and beer, have been reconfigured progressivley over the past several years to save aluminum thereby saving millions of dollars annually. The saving in aluminum has been in the form of thinner can walls and a necked down or tapered top defining a reduced diameter opening terminating in a top edge or lip.
The reduced diameter top edge or lip forceably engages a sealing rubber or gasket under a force imposed by a platform left cylinder assembly at the time the open top can being filled in an automatic beverage filling machine. The sequential steps in filling, as the filling portion of the machine turns, are: first charging the open top can with carbon dioxide to counter pressure the can, introduction of a controlled amount of beverage from a storage location, such as an elevated bowl, and snifting the beverage containing can. The lid is thereafter placed in sealed relation with the top of the can.
With the thinner side walls, the tapered top and the smaller top opening in modern day cans has come a significant increase in the number of cans damaged during the filling process. Typically, the necked down or tapered top of the can sometimes buckles, crimps or crinkles due to excessive force or over clamp on the can. These damaged cans and the beverage therein are discarded, making the manufacturing costs higher.
The aforementioned can damage problem has persisted for a relatively long time, without a solution until the present invention.